George R.R. MartinWhen we aren’t busy anticipating George R.R. Martin killing off the last of our favorite characters in the end of ‘A Song of Ice and Fire‘ or even in HBO’s version of ‘Game of Thrones’, the author has other works for us to read. At least, he’s got some great suggestions for those who are looking for a good book to crack open for their summer reading! With ‘The Winds of Winter’ not due on bookshelves until next year at the earliest, there is a gaping hole in our lives for literature. Don’t worry, though, Martin still has you covered with suggestions from other authors.

These suggestions came during New York Public Library’s #ReadingIsLit campaign where the author gave two-five book lists of books worth checking out. One of them being all fantasy novels and the other being his favorite novels of any genre. Yes, I said nine books earlier, and that is because there is one book which crosses over through both lists and anyone who has followed Martin over the years can likely guess which it is.

So, for those ‘Game of Thrones’ fans who are looking for more fantasy to explore than here are the five which Martin is suggesting that you check out!

  • The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
  • Watership Down by Richard Adams
  • The Once and Future King by T.H. White
  • Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny
  • A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

Now, as to his five suggestions from any genre under the sun that you should check out this summer? Martin suggests:

  • The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
  • The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
  • A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
  • The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy

It should come as no surprise that ‘The Lord of the Rings’ makes both lists. I have read all of the fantasy titles here and would easily second all of the fantasy title he suggested. I might, however, stick ‘Watership Down’ at the bottom of those five, but they’re all great reads.

What fantasy novels would you suggest for readers this coming summer? Do you have any all-time favorites or newer suggestions that people should check out? Share them in the comments below!

Source: Entertainment Weekly